


Bright

by Imanerdandliketoread



Category: Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon & Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Angst, brief bullying scene, color meanings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:21:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21882934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imanerdandliketoread/pseuds/Imanerdandliketoread
Summary: Written for Pinescone Secret Santa 2019, for pancake-man on TumblrDipper learns how colors relate to love, falls in love with the world, gets his heart broken, learns to love again, goes to college, and finds out how true love affects the relationship between colors and love.
Relationships: Dipper Pines/Wirt (Over the Garden Wall)
Kudos: 39





	Bright

**Author's Note:**

> Sidenote: Wirt is brown bc I'm brown and I say so. I don't make the rules, except for that I do. Double sidenote, I wrote Wirt’s poetry while listening to For Sara, so I tried to copy his style as opposed to writing something in my own  
> Color reference sheet:  
> Blue- Trust, stability, calm  
> Pink- tenderness, caring, sympathy  
> Royal blue - stability, honesty  
> Beige - dependable, flexible  
> I stole the title from Echosmith's Bright. Great song, I recommend listening to it! As always, kudos and comments are adored! I hope you enjoy!

True love is something that was tricky to understand, especially for a six-year-old. That didn’t stop Dipper Pines from asking every question about that popped into his head about the subject. Why is the world besides his family all gray? Why did Mabel illuminate a room with bright pinks and purples and oranges when all of his classmates remain a monochrome series of grays? Why did kittens glow orange and blue-gray and chocolate brown when the scary dog across the street that barked real loud every time he got close stayed a solid dark gray? ‘Why did’ and ‘how come’ poured from his lips faster than syrup on Mabel’s pancakes and Dipper could see that his parents were getting tired of deflecting his questions. 

Finally, they explained that everyone and anything you loved would light up with color for as long as you cared for them, that ancient magic encouraged a love for everything. And that some people would never see a single color in their lives because their hearts grew so cold and angry that no love could ever warm them. They explained that when people who loved each other touched, their skin would light up with a color representing the relationship wherever they touched, and that’s why when momma and dad held hands, they lit up with a soft blue hue. 

Dipper found out that Mabel loved everything. She rambled on about the colors of the sky, girls’ hair, and even spiders.

Dipper didn’t love spiders or the sky, but he did love lakes and rivers and trees and funny-looking fish. So he watched documentaries and science shows and learned and absorbed information and slowly, he began to see more and more colors.

When Dipper turned ten and invited his best friends Sam and Caroline to his birthday party at the new arcade, he first learned heartbreak. He knew he loved his friends because he could clearly see Caroline’s dark skin and the bright pink flowers in her hair and the way the blue raspberry lollipops she loved stained her tongue and Sam’s freckles and his blush when Caroline told a joke and the way his brown eyes sparkled when he planned on pranking someone. When Sam handed him the bright green birthday present he brought for Dipper, their hands brushed and nothing happened, no colors, no glowing. At first, he was sad but cheered himself up at the realization that it was likely just that Sam was slower to love people and since Sam and Dipper had only been friends for a few months, that he just was working to get there. 

Then, when Caroline grabbed his hand to drag him over to a game with flashing lights and loud music and silly ducks on it and their clasped hands also didn’t glow, Dipper was struck with the fear that something was wrong. He and Caroline had been friends for five years now. 

So, when he had the chance, he pretended to go to the bathroom. He followed Sam and Caroline around, weaving between people’s legs and trying to keep track of their conversation. 

“—such a nerd!” Caroline giggled.

“Yeah, and he never stops talking! It’s nice that his family lets him go to so many fun places because he drags us along.”

They continued to talk, the topic changing from Dipper to Mabel, calling her names. Right before they were blocked by a particularly tall man, he noticed their colors be replaced by deep grays.

Dipper ran to find Mabel. Mabel hugged him close and Dipper found comfort in the soft pink glow that illuminated their skin where Mabel’s arms wrapped around his arms and neck and how her fingers shined when she wiped away his tears. 

After that, Dipper found it harder to love people. Books and nature and games still had prominent colors, but only Mabel and his parents had color. Sometimes, Dipper would look in the mirror and smudges of gray would seep into his skin, hair, eyes. Times like that made him scared. When that happened, the only thing that brought him comfort was the soft rosy pink of Mabel’s hugs. 

Over time, Dipper made better friends, met new people, and occasionally developed crushes on pretty girls and nice boys. But very few people ever were brightened by colors. 

One said crush was Wirt Palmer, a dorky boy six months his senior. They had met at a sleep-away writing camp and immediately got on like fire on a house. Wirt was soft-spoken but passionate, clumsy yet gorgeous. Wirt was perfect, and Dipper would be damned if he hadn't tried everything to not fall in love with him. 

It would be cliche to say Dipper fell in love slowly, and it would be a blatant lie. Three hours after they first shook hands during their introduction to one another, color slammed into Wirt's form. Wirt had quoted Shakespeare, softly mumbling "'Tis the way to call hers exquisite, in question more…" under his breath, the following lines providing a comforting touch, their warmth soaking into Dipper's bones. And then, color. It was as simple as that, but also horribly convoluted and worrying, as Dipper hadn't felt love anew in a year. 

But, despite the panic creeping in, he was also comforted by how  _ right _ it felt to love Wirt. Dipper was also just a teenage boy, and he struggled to differentiate the platonic and romantic affection he felt for his new companion. After all, love came in many forms, and identifying one after so suddenly being overwhelmed by its presence was a feat in and of itself. 

So, Dipper kept his feelings to himself, only letting Mabel know that he had made a new friend. As the week progressed and Wirt opened up more, Dipper came to the conclusion that no matter what he felt for this boy, he was certain that he would never feel whole again if not by his side. 

And stay he did, at least to the best of his ability. After all, Wirt lived in Massachusetts, the other side of the country from Dipper's home of Piedmont, California. They texted, nigh constantly, and during school breaks they would talk into the early morning hours, night coming to an end before their conversations. Dipper rarely actually  _ saw _ Wirt, as opposed to just hearing him, seeing his words through a screen. That made it easy to ignore how clear Wirt's colors were, never wavering, never dimming. 

The few times he and Wirt were face to face—video chats or the occasional meetup—Dipper could only be amazed by how beautiful Wirt was. Fluffy brown hair and chocolate eyes, tan skin, a big angular nose, all made Dipper's insides warm pleasantly. And the beauty and determination of the colors comforted Dipper. He was reminded that despite being hurt and despite being taken advantage of, he was no less worthy of being surrounded by love than any other person. When he felt close to Wirt—despite the hundreds of miles separating them—he loved himself more. 

Sometimes, late at night, after Wirt finally succumbs to the siren call of sleep, Dipper would trace patterns onto his arms, royal blue bleeding through the gaps between his fingers, and feel closest to the old Dipper, the one who loved easily and truly, a part of him he had previously given up on finding again. 

Other times, gray would wobble across his body, only lasting mere seconds before returning to its bright hues, and a deep cold would seep into Dipper, down to the bone. On those days, Wirt would be quick to comfort, rambling on about plans for college or a book he had read or a song he was writing. The distractions helped, but Dipper wondered if it was more the words or the person they came from that brought him comfort. 

Dipper developed a habit of dedicating a large portion of his free time to conversing with Wirt, whether it be during school or during breaks in between study sessions or talking until midnight. And suddenly, as the end of junior year rolled past and suddenly the bubble of consistency was popped, making way for the stress and panic of searching for colleges. 

On more than one occasion, Mabel let Dipper know her opinions on his three-year-long college search, telling him that he has no reason to stress since he had had his favorites narrowed down to a reasonably sized list since the end of last year's winter break. She had known this because, for each day of Hanukkah, Dipper had gotten eight sweatshirts, each proudly advertising the mascot of one of those schools. Mabel had five of those same colleges on her list, she also had half of the colleges on the west coast on that very same list, so the overlap didn't surprise Dipper. 

His biggest confidant for his college prep fears was Wirt. They both discussed the pros and cons of each school, their interests overlapping enough that the most appealing colleges for one often intrigue the other as well.

And as the season for college applications neared, Dipper noticed Wirt often finding nitpicky reasons to dislike any school that Dipper wasn't applying to. It was almost as if Wirt couldn't bear the thought of consciously choosing to not be closer to Dipper. At first, Dipper brushed thoughts like that aside, but as Wirt steadfastly continued rebuffing schools he had previously fawned over, Dipper reconsidered his behavior. It was relieving to think that maybe, just maybe, Wirt would finally be within arms reach, for the first time since the summer before their sophomore year. 

Their last year of high school passed much the same as the previous two, worrying about grades, studying, preparing for college, and talking. Then, spring came and brought with it college responses. With his grades, test scores, and essays, Dipper managed to get accepted into some high ranking colleges, but he was most happy that Wirt had gotten accepted to three of the same colleges that Dipper had, one of which was highly favored by both. They video chatted that might, gushing over each others’ successes and happily imagining what the first year of college might be like. 

Wirt wasn’t a fan of cold weather and Dipper hated temperatures over 80 degrees, so they settled on a college in a warmer state, with just enough of an elevation to limit how hot the summers would be. 

As his final summer break before college finally began and the stress of finals started to abate, Dipper began packing for the drive to his new campus. Sadly, Mabel hadn’t applied to that college, but she had gotten accepted to one that was only a few hours’ drive away, so visits would be frequent. Freshmen had assigned dorms on campus with a roommate exam matching each person to one or two others, so Dipper had prepared a few different scripts to use, one for a cool roommate, one for a boring roommate, one for a douchey roommate, and one for an absent roommate, all color-coordinated. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing to the person he would be rooming with for the next two years, minimum. 

A few days later, he and Mabel had shoved their luggage into the trunk of Dipper’s car and were in the midst of saying goodbye to their parents for the eighteenth time. Mabel had refused to get a driver’s license, quoting studies about the damage driving has on the environment and human health, so Dipper would drive her to her campus, where she would rely on the college’s free bus system to get where she needed. 

The drive would take a day so they stopped at a hotel halfway there. Since Dipper had driven and was therefore too busy to talk to Wirt, he spent the next two hours chatting with Wirt about tourist traps he has driven past, the whole time trying to tune out Mabel’s loud getting-ready-for-bed-one-woman-performance. 

Wirt said that he was already at his dorm and that his roommate, singular, had yet to arrive. He then sent an invite for a video chat and, when Dipper accepted, gave him a shaky but descriptive tour of his half of the large suite. There were five rooms: a living room, two bedrooms, each with personal bathrooms, and a small kitchen. The kitchen had a stove, a small fridge, and a microwave. Dipper also noticed a small kettle, covered in stickers. 

Wirt babbled on about how nervous he was to meet his roommate and for classes to start, only stopping when Mabel burst from the bathroom to fill the room Dipper was in with her loud and only slightly off-key singing. 

“Oh hi, Wirt!” She shouted at the laptop, receiving a shocked greeting from Wirt in return. Shortly after the disruption, Wirt yawned, his jaw popping at the exertion. Dipper said goodnight and not long after he and Mabel were out cold. 

When he dropped Mabel off, she gripped him tightly and whispered “Go get him, tiger. He’s gonna love you, if he doesn’t already.” Her words were comforting, if not surprising, and he focused on the gentle pink lighting up around the points of contact to distract from the tears that wanted to escape. 

Her words echoed in his brain as he sped down the highway, stealing any semblance of extra focus that he would have had otherwise. 

As Dipper hauled his suitcase down the hallway, pausing a second to glance down at his phone to double-check what room he’s heading to. As he does, he hears a soft voice muttering what sounds like poetry escape the open door a few rooms ahead of him. 

“I falter, for the sight of you stops my breath, and gaze at the light that is you. Instantly, color fills my world, as there is no life where I do not love you.” Dipper creeps closer, not wanting the speaker to stop. “I stumble around blindly, looking for your guiding light, for when you are not around the world is dark. Now I stand, gazing upon a—” the speaker cuts off as Dipper lets out a gasp. 

In the room, Dipper’s room, Wirt stands, dressed in a pale yellow sweater and old blue jeans, and stares at Dipper before stuttering a rushed “Dipper! What, what are you doing here? I didn’t tell you my room did I?”

Dipper let out a breathy chuckle. “Wirt, this is my room. I… it seems like we might be roommates. I, what was that that you were reading? Who was it for?” Wirt’s Face burned bright red and the heat of Dipper’s own cheeks told him that he was blushing just as hard. 

“It was…” He trailed off, the answer whispered into his hands, which had crept up to cover his face. He peeked through a gap in his fingers and followed Dipper as he took a slow step forward. He dropped his hands, took a deep breath, and blurted out “It was for you! I wrote it for you because I love you!” He pauses. “I love you,” he muttered, softer this time. 

Dipper closes the distance between them, shakily stretching out a hand and pausing just inches from Wirt’s face. Wirt takes the initiative and leans into his palm. Instantly, the points of contact light up a soft beige, but Dipper focused on the beige pouring from Wirt’s chest, illuminating the shape of his heart. 

“Oh boy. That’s a, that’s a soulmark.” Wirt must notice the confused furrow of Dipper’s brow because he continues. “It’s a super rare thing that happens only when people love each other purely and like initiate purposeful contact with each other or something. There’s like twenty cases of this happening in the last four decades.”

Dipper felt his blush spread down his neck. “We’re just that special, I guess. If you couldn’t guess, I love you too, Wirt. I’ve  _ been _ in love with you since the first day we met.” Dipper looked into Wirt’s eyes, filled with comfort by the pure  _ love _ held in the brown depths. His other hand met Wirt’s cheek and the beige hue brightened. 

Dipper knew then and there that he would move heaven and earth to keep Wirt’s love close by, would fight the world if it meant making him happy.

**Author's Note:**

> You can check me out at endoftheworldpaul for more Pinescone (and other fandoms) writing. I've been on a big Daredevil kick recently, so if you like that, feel free to peruse my blog, maybe talk about it with me. Thanks for reading!  
> Thank you, Hannah, for supporting me while I was writing this, and being a great person! I love you!


End file.
